RE: Fake Homeschoolers (Full Version)

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cynthia -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/16/2008 9:21:33 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ellie-Mae

In Russ' Math Q&A thread, I gave a website where there is math curriculum for free that she could do on her own.

Thanks, Ellie-Mae. I will look that up and have dd e-mail it to her. Who knows that may solve the entire problem right there. Wouldn't that be a wonderful answer to prayer!



Ellie-Mae -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/16/2008 9:23:54 PM)

That would be great. I was thrilled to find it. I haven't had a chance to pay with it much, but Zoe has played with it some.



cynthia -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/16/2008 9:26:35 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ellie-Mae

That would be great. I was thrilled to find it. I haven't had a chance to pay with it much, but Zoe has played with it some.

I can't find it. When you feel up to it, would you please post the link?[sm=icon_smile_halo.gif]



Ellie-Mae -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/16/2008 10:15:43 PM)

http://xyalgebra.com/



cynthia -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/16/2008 10:34:42 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ellie-Mae

http://xyalgebra.com/

Thank you, Ellie-Mae. That looks to be way above her level. From what I understand, she does not understand multiplication.



Ellie-Mae -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/16/2008 11:09:41 PM)

Then maybe a subscription to something like time for learning would be in order. Being that it is not a book, maybe the mom would be less likely to confiscate it and it would be fun to do. My kids love that site, but I can't afford to get them MORE curriculum.

ETA: That is... WWW.Time4learning.com



Jenny-Fair -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/16/2008 11:20:57 PM)

Homeschool Math
Worksheet site--some free, not a lot of explanation
Math homework help
Math Cats

Scholastic Student Activities
Grammar lessons



cynthia -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/16/2008 11:44:52 PM)

I'll check into those. Thank you.



Jenny-Fair -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/16/2008 11:47:54 PM)

Cynthia, are you sure she doesn't understand multiplication? I don't think those sites really cover the how and why...they just give practice...so I am making up a power point on the how and why, and I will work hard on it this week if you think she will use it. I can do a division one, as well.



Ellie-Mae -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/17/2008 12:04:39 AM)

Time4learning teaches them how, and you can check to see if she is actually using it.



Auben -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/17/2008 5:27:41 PM)

It may be worth it to look up some articles about Unschooling and Math. There are many different non-workbook approaches that may work in this situation. Several sites use fiction to 'teach' mathematical concepts.

http://www.livingmath.net/ was interesting. Waldorf has some interesting sites/theory (although I read through their stuff carefully..sometimes it seems a little too, I don't know, New Agey or something) that follow an unschooling approach.

At her age, she may need encouragement most of all. She's probably aware of her lack and may feel powerless to do anything about it. ('I can't do math...I'm just not good at it.')

I wonder if The Teenage Liberation Handbook would be helpful? I haven't read it myself but I know at least 2 people from neglectful homes who say it changed their lives when they were teens. Not that you could mail her a copy, but if you and your daughter read it together then she can talk to her about some of the concepts and maybe she will seek it out at the library.



cynthia -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/17/2008 9:31:00 PM)

Good ideas, Tamara. I think you're right about her feeling like she's just no good at math, from what my dd told me. [:(]



mindakms -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/22/2008 11:57:27 PM)

WOW! My very first post read on Crosswalk.com and I'm heartbroken.

Jesus set a clear example of getting in there and getting down and dirty with the disenfranchised. I can definately see Him going to this families hotel room and sitting down to a McD's dinner with them, completely at ease. Our job as fellow christians is not to mete out justice as we see it, but to love our neighbor as ourself. You say this family really bothers you and that you want to help the kids, but the way you wrote about this beleaguered family does not support that statement. Although you write harshly about their handicapped and hospitalized children and their loss of homes, I'm hoping that really their situation just scares you. Being scared is natural and okay, doing nothing when our neighbors are in need is not.

I'm happy that you don't think calling CPS is an option, that gives me hope. Perhaps someone has called them on you and you see that isn't a very good solution to really help hurting people. Perhaps you have called them before and didn't get the results you wanted. You don't wish to discuss this and I understand. The only thing that matters is what you can do, not what and why you won't get a govn't agency involved.

God loves you and them. If you are unable to let this family go from your heart, even after they have moved all the way across the country, perhaps it is because God is gently whispering to you to help them. Not report them, or talk about them, but help them. With all those children and many of them struggling, with the homelessness, with the hospitalization, I can see why the mom would be shrieking! I have a friend who has been through none of those troubles and there are days that homeschooling her four children under the age of 7 sends her over the edge. We try our best to reach out, take one of her kids for the day, talk her through it, or just buy her some ice cream. Usually it helps.

Because of your harsh judgement of their homeschooling practices, I'm assuming you have yours well in hand. Time to reach out and offer to help. Not by taking away the "disturbing" 15 year old girl (and yet her testimony about homeschooling is the one you are taking for your backup)
who at least on some level can help support the family as a whole, perhaps you'd be willing to spend time each day giving one of the younger kids special tutoring to help the overtaxed mom. Or maybe just being a friend to the mom. Sounds impossible, but with God by your side anything is possible and a kind, loving word can calm the most distraught soul.

My heart aches for this teen who is faced with so much that many don't see even in their adult years. I pray that God is part of her life, and that Jesus keeps her safe and helps her to feel loved and gives her hope for her future.



Sunnymom -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/23/2008 7:41:20 AM)

mindakms,
I sent you a PM, and I want to say here that cynthia is one of most Godly and caring women on this site, but since you don't 'know' her, you have made some invalid assumptions. I think she is working through her thought processes online, and discussing conflicting emotions is very difficult on the internet, and that is something to keep in mind when responding to a thread like this. Those of us who have been here awhile understand that she is not being harsh or judgmental. Please reconsider posting in such a manner until you 'get to know' folks a bit more, K?

I think what we all need to do for this family is pray that God will give cynthia wisdom and discernment, and He will bring along someone who will be able to intervene in this family's life and help them all get on the right track.



mindakms -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (6/23/2008 8:57:43 AM)

I apologize that my lack of knowledge of Cynthia caused me to take her text at face value.

And I think God already has brought someone into their lives to help them...and her name is Cynthia.



Jemtree -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (7/1/2008 12:32:49 AM)

I am new here, but, just like everyone, I have an opinion. ( Imagine that! LOL)

I went to public school in Washington State. I got very little education at all.

I think our country focuses way too much on education sometimes anyway.

This girl, it's a sad, difficult situation for her, it sounds like.

However, it's all here-say.

No one here has lived in her home, or in her shoes. She could be mad at her mom for making her help with family responsibilities. She could be misunderstanding.

Appearances are so easy to misjudge.

Maybe her mom said they couldn't afford a math book at that time, maybe her mom didn't verbalize enough.

We can't judge what is really going on. Kids rarely convey things clearly, and people overreact to things all the time.

I had such a awful public school education, and yet, I have learned so much as an adult, even with no college education.

I think we should not gossip about things like this, but agree in prayer, and seek God for His will to be done.

Us talking about it here does nothing but stir up a bunch of negative and sad emotions, and it won't help this girl, who may be just fine, but appearances are so very often deceiving! It makes me upset, because anyone reading this who does not think hsing is acceptable will use this stuff as fodder to make more of their "case" against it. :(

My 2 cents.

Stop trying to solve something that no one here has all the details for, and just pray for God to take the girl and the family into His care, and fix what He knows needs to be fixed.

I love the freedom I have to relax when my kids are too far ahead, or take my time teaching so that my kids can relax when trying to grasp hold of the understanding of difficult new subjects, like math. I hate when people think I am "fake homeschooling" just because we are relaxed. We are not always relaxed, but when my husband is deployed, it works the best for my family that way.

The last thing I would need is for someone to poke their nose into my business because I wasn't doing things the way they think I should be doing them.

For goodness sakes, this family has had 2 houses burn down! Maybe a little Grace and a lot of prayer is what is necessary. It sounds like the mom is overwhelmed. maybe she isn't handling things perfectly, but, wow!

People just need to chill.



Jemtree -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (7/1/2008 12:53:07 AM)

I also meant to say, there are millions of ways to learn. MATH does not require book in order to learn it. That's part of the beauty and freedom of homeschooling.

Let's pray for this family, not talk about them and their situation. That won't help them at all, and it would humiliate them if they knew. :(



amybreit -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (7/1/2008 8:01:31 AM)

Jemtree - I don't think it at all inappropriate for this situation to be discussed here. First of all it's all anonymous, so none of us know who these people are except Cynthia (the OP). Heck, I've known Cynthia on these forums for a while & don't even know her last name! Also, this discussion was not what this family should do, but what Cynthia might consider doing/not doing in response to what the girl has been sharing with Cynthia's dd! She came here simply asking for advice & to have a sounding board for what she should do with the information her dd has been told. I think part of her reasoning for struggling with this was to not "poke her nose into someone else's business" without warrant.

You are right that none of us know the whole story or can adequately comment on what should happen with this family, but we can offer advice, opinion & support to Cynthia in what she could/should do. After all, isn't that one of the purposes of a forum like this?



Jemtree -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (7/1/2008 12:27:18 PM)

Yes, I guess that is true. :)



elliemaejune -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (7/4/2008 11:36:45 PM)

I know how you feel, I do, but I have to gently say that IMHO your best option is to mind your own business. If you do not believe calling CPS is the right thing to do, then you have to let it go. And your dd has to let it go, as well.

I don't think your dd should be involved, either, not in any way that looks remotely like counseling, especially not suggesting that Alice call CPS herself. (I don't see how that's different from *you* calling CPS, anyway.) And I suspect that if Alice called the local school (what would be the point of that???) there would be negative repercussions on the family. Besides, Alice could surely have thought of that herself; and if your dd suggests it, and things go south, your dd may be drawn into the fray.

There are always people who will suck the life right out of you with their constant adventures--BTDT--and there just comes a time when you have to quit letting that happen. Some people you just cannot help, no matter what you say or do, and you have to cut them loose.

If you said that anything you have done in the past, at any time, has actually helped these people, if they had responded to you (or anyone else) positively, I'd encourage you to keep trying, but it doesn't sound as if that's been the case.

I say let it go.



cynthia -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (7/5/2008 2:29:25 PM)

Elliemaejune, Your post made me laugh. That is exactly how I am feeling. I think I just got so frustrated with the situation that I felt like I had to "do" something! I have tried to disconnect from that family, as I have tried in the past to help them, but they are unresponsive. I know of others that have tried to help them as well. They have been confronted, admitted their sin and yet do not do anything to change. The problem is that my daughter adores Alice and Alice adores my daughter. I don't want to cut them off from each other, so I let the relationship continue, then I hear about all this nonsense over and over again. I am not a sit back type of person, so it is really hard for me to ignore it. I know I am to pray, and I do, but I feel like there must be something I can do and if I cannot do it, maybe someone else should. Yeah, get the government involved in their business, that's the answer! Uh, not.

I will let go of feeling any responsiblity to do anything about someone else's life. It looks like a disaster, but it is a self inflicted disaster and I cannot do anything about it. Only the Lord can, so I have to simply pray and continue to help my daughter work through her frustrations after she speaks with Alice.

If this family had their kids in public school and the kids were doing poorly, I wouldn't have even considered calling the authorities. The parents are responsible for their own children and unless the children are in physical danger, I do not think the government should get involved.



shadowspring -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (7/5/2008 2:40:54 PM)

quote:

They have been confronted, admitted their sin and yet do not do anything to change.


There are two kinds of poverty in this world: a temporary lack of resources and a chronic (multi-generational) lack of resources.

The reason the first exists is because of illness, lay-offs, droughts, natural disasters, general economic downturns, etc.

The second kind exists exactly because of the above posted attitude- an unwillingness to accept responsibility for their own actions and attitudes and/or an unwillingness to change. It is sad, and the bane of human society.

Social service agencies can help in the first scenario- medicare, job training, temporary housing assistance, WIC and welfare were designed to help out in those situations.

No one, not even God can help those who are unwilling to change. [:@] It's very frustrating when it affects the innocent as well as the guilty.



bzirk -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (7/5/2008 4:44:58 PM)

I don't have any input to add about what Cynthia should do. There have been some really good posts about helpful things to do as well as posts understanding how really difficult the situation is. I guess the only thing I want to add is that we all have a tendency to want to solve this problems in a relatively quick fashion and sometimes (a lot of time) it just doesn't work out that way. I think Cynthia is trying to patiently work through the situation, and I pray she just keeps on keepin' on and her daughter does the same with this friend.

Many blessings.



sen10tious -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (7/5/2008 7:33:05 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: cynthia

If this family had their kids in public school and the kids were doing poorly, I wouldn't have even considered calling the authorities.



Will someone please pass me the Bromo-Seltzer?


Meaning: You are giving me an upset stomach and I think I could use a mild sedative.



cynthia -> RE: Fake Homeschoolers (7/6/2008 1:52:10 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: sen10tious

quote:

ORIGINAL: cynthia

If this family had their kids in public school and the kids were doing poorly, I wouldn't have even considered calling the authorities.



Will someone please pass me the Bromo-Seltzer?


Meaning: You are giving me an upset stomach and I think I could use a mild sedative.

That was quite rude. I'd say you were making me sick too, but you're not. You're just irritating me.



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